Ten Best Food Events This Weekend: November 18-20

Around the World Wine Dinner @ Missouri Botanical Gardens
Chefs from Catering St. Louis will create a four-course regional menu featuring Portugal, pairing each course with a different wine from the same region. Enjoy roasted garlic-potato soup over a chorizo-kale fritter, chocolate rice pudding and more. $55 per person. Call 314-577-0200 for reservations. 6:30 p.m.

Third Friday Party @ Third Degree Glass Factory
Society for Midwest Metalsmiths show and sell their work including jewelry of all kinds. Witness live glass-blowing, gobble up pumpkin martinis and tapas-style plates ranging from $2-8, enjoy live entertainment and more. Free admission. 6 to 10 p.m.

Maplewood Winter Farmers' Market @ Schlafly Bottleworks
Outdoor farmers' markets have shuttered their stands for the season, but have no fear, the Schlafly Winter Market is here, and this year, they're serving brunch! Enjoy the first of many monthly winter markets inside Schlafly Bottleworks with the Bottleworks brunch menu during market hours. Vendors may include Marcoot Jersey Creamery, Ozark Forest Mushroom, Centennial Farms and many more. Get a helping of fresh vegetables, meat, cheese, baked goods and more, and get it indoors! Free admission. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Lydia House's Fifth Annual Gingerbread Contest Reception @ Plaza Frontenac
Top chefs from throughout St. Louis compete with their interpretations of "Storybook Holiday Seasons" in edible, handmade house form. See the debut of these creations, make your own gingerbread creations, and visit Santa at the reception for the exhibit, which will be on display from Nov. 19 through Dec. 4 during regular mall hours. Free. 2 to 4 p.m.

Zootini 2011 @ The St. Louis Zoo's The Living World
Enjoy creative cocktails, live entertainment by Fat Pocket and DJ Needles, a costume contest, raffle and game room at this 21-and-older event. The dress code is "upscale hip with an animal flare." Enjoy food from Sicily Streat, Sweet Divine and Guerilla Street food trucks. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door for non-members. Proceeds to benefit the Saint Louis Zoo. 8 p.m. to midnight.

Sunday (November 20):

Fair Trade Market @ Manchester United Methodist Church
Get a head start on your Christmas list by shopping 2,500 square feet of Fair Trade certified clothing and accessories, coffee, chocolate, foodstuffs and much more while enjoying live cultural entertainment. Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Holiday Fare Wine Trail @ Hermann Wineries
Enjoy a tasting menu of dishes such as crab and artichoke stuffed phyllo shells, pumpkin spice cookies and more paired with locally produced wines at seven different wineries along a scenic twenty-mile stretch including Adam Puchta Winery, Bias Winery and Dierberg Star Lane. Saturday, Nov. 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 20 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person and include a souvenir wine glass. Purchase them online or by calling 800-932-8687.

El Bulli: Cooking in Progress @ Landmark Tivoli Theatre
View a screening of El Bulli: Cooking in Progress, a documentary film set in Spain portraying six months' worth of molecular-gastronomical research and development all toward a new, breathtaking menu. Observe the findings and prepare to drool. Tickets are $10-12. 3:30 p.m.